High School Story
by unofficialfansie
Summary: The Newsies going through high school together.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

 **A new story! I am jumping on the bandwagon of those who write about the Newsies being in high school, and I am excited! Just a few quick notes before we get started, I'm not planning on including a modern version of the strike in this story, but instead will be writing about the Newsies going through the everyday trials and tribulations of high school. Also, I will be including as many easter eggs as I can, so feel free to shout them out when you spot one. They could be references to the movie, the actors, or other broadway musicals, so be on the lookout! I think that's it for now, so let's get started. Enjoy!**

David's heart was pounding with nervous energy, his throat constricting and palms sweating in a way that was extremely uncomfortable. All around him, students were entering the large redbrick building with the faded words _Francis Sullivan High School_ painted on the front, but he stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. When his father had first told him and his younger brother, Les, that they were moving across the country for his job, David hadn't cared much. He didn't have many friends at school, having been labeled as an outsider from a very young age on account of his love for school and learning. He had thought he wouldn't miss his old school in the slightest, but now he would have given anything to be sitting in first period Algebra instead of trying to work up the courage to go inside a building. A bell rang, startling him out of his thoughts. The last thing he needed was to be late on his very first day of school, so he slowly began to climb the steps that led to the front door of the school, trying unsuccessfully to quell his nerves.

Jack sat in English class, doodling on a small scrap of paper and trying to ignore the dirty looks his girlfriend was giving him for not paying attention to the teacher. "Mr. Kelly," the teacher's voice rang loud and clear, and Jack hurriedly shoved the paper under his notebook and sat up straighter. "Yeah Mr. Weisel?" The teacher sighed heavily. "Mr. Kelly, could you please tell us what the main theme of the book Children of the City is?" Jack blinked, silently cursing himself for not doing the required reading for this class. He cleared his throat nervously. "Uh, well, the main theme of the book Children of the City is-" he was interrupted by the door to the classroom opening and the principal walking in, closely followed by a nervous looking kid with dark brown hair. "Mr. Weisel, a Mr. David Jacobs?" the principal said, looking impatient. Mr. Weisel looked confused for a moment, before checking his class roster and nodding in recognition. "Of course, of course. Thank you, Principal Davis." The principal nodded, and quickly exited the classroom, slamming the door shut behind him. The new kid looked at Mr. Weisel expectantly. "David, welcome to our class. Please, have a seat anywhere there's an empty desk." David nodded, then took a look around the classroom, before his eyes landed on the desk next to Jack. He slowly made his way to the back of the classroom and sat down, carefully setting his backpack on the floor next to his desk. After looking at him curiously for a moment Jack turned his attention back to Mr. Weisel, who had thankfully forgotten about him.

When the bell rang at the end of fourth period, David slowly gathered up his belongings. He had lunch fifth period, which meant that he could take his time putting his things away. Pulling out his schedule, he could see out of the corner of his eye the kid sitting next to him was looking at him curiously. "Need some help?" David looked up, confused. "What?" "Need some help findin' the cafeteria?" The boy repeated, gesturing to his schedule. "Oh, uh, sure, thanks. I'm David by the way." "The names Jack Kelly, but my friends call me Jack." He grinned, standing up and making his way out of the classroom. David followed, hoping he didn't look as nervous as he felt. "It ain't that hard to find once you get used to this place," Jack continued, expertly dodging kids as he walked down the hallway. "But I'll help you for now, and if you want I can introduce you to some friends of mine. I'm guessing you don't know anyone yet." David nodded, smiling slightly. "Unless you count Principal Davis, no I don't." Jack laughed at that, and taking David by the arm pulled him towards the cafeteria.

"Guys, meet Davey. Davey, meet guys." Jack gestured towards a table filled with boys, sitting down and motioning for Davey to sit next to him. "Um, hi," Davey said, attempting to smile. A kid with blonde hair sitting across the table from him grinned, and reached out his hand for Davey to shake. "Racetrack Higgins, but you can call me Race. And these are Specs, Romeo, Albert, JoJo, and Mush," he said, gesturing to each boy respectively. "The only ones who are missing are Katherine, Jack's girlfriend, she has a school newspaper meetin', and Crutchie, who has the flu." Overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of names, Davey managed to squeak out, "Crutchie?" A look of understanding dawned on Race's face, and he smiled apologetically. "Oh, yeah, we'se all got nicknames. Crutchie walks with a crutch 'cause his legs messed up, so we call him Crutchie. I'm called Race 'cause I'm on the track team and I like to run. Specs has glasses, Romeo flirts with every girl on the planet, Jojo's real name's Joseph, Mush gets real emotional and questions our existence on a daily basis, and we couldn't come up with a nickname for Albert so we just use his real name." Nodding, Davey attempted to match people's names to their faces, but he had never been good with meeting new people. Oh well, he'd learn eventually. Taking out his lunch, he began to eat, occasionally answering questions about his family, where he was from, and what he liked to do, but he mostly listened as the boys argued with, teased, and laughed with each other. When the bell rang to signify lunch was over, Jack turned to him and said, "You should eat lunch with us tomorrow, too." As he walked away, Davey smiled to himself. One thing was certain, this would be an interesting year.

 **A/N: And there it is! If you have any suggestions on what could make this story better please let me know, but also let me know if you have requests for things you want to see in later chapters!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

 **New chapter for you all! Thanks as always to those who have reviewed so far, please continue! I hope you enjoy this chapter, just FYI, I did include a reference to another musical about New York in here, it's a little hard to find but it's there so please let me know if you get it! (I honestly love including easter eggs in here it's so fun.)**

When Davey arrived at school the next morning he was in a great mood. He found his locker without any trouble, succeeded in opening it, and best of all, he had been invited to sit with Jack and his friends at lunch. Never in his whole life had he been invited to do something before, even when he was little. He hadn't minded exactly, but it had gotten lonely after a while. Now he had a chance to make real friends, a prospect which excited him. He was thinking this to himself as he made his way to his first period class when he was suddenly jolted back to reality by a heavy thud. Looking down the hallway, he saw that a large, muscular kid with his face twisted into a permanent sneer had pinned another, smaller kid with blonde hair up against a locker. As he got closer, Davey could hear what was being said. "Please, Oscar, let me go! I didn't do nothin'!" the smaller boy pleaded, but the bully just shoved him harder into the locker. "Shut it, crip! I'll let you go when I damn well want to!" "Hey, leave him alone!" Both turned their heads to look at Davey, who hadn't even realized what was coming out of his mouth until it was too late. He swallowed hard. Oscar's expression became even more menacing as he turned back to the other kid. "We'll finish this later," he growled, before dropping the other boy on the ground in front of the locker. Then he turned back towards Davey, who was praying he'd turn invisible. "I don't know who you are, but let's get something straight. Nobody talks to me like that, got it?" Davey opened his mouth to reply, but the sound got stuck in his throat and the only sound that came out was a small squeak. Without warning, Oscar grabbed him by the neck and pushed him up against the lockers on the opposite side of the hallway. "Got it?" he repeated, and Davey managed to nod slightly. Oscar's face relaxed and he let go of Davey's throat, shot one last glare at the other kid, then left. Gasping for air, Davey leaned up against the lockers and massaged his throat gently. Noticing the other kid hadn't moved from where he was slumped in front of the lockers on the other side of the hallway, he slowly approached him. "Are you okay?" he rasped, and the kid looked up in suprise. "Yeah, I'm okay," he answered, sniffling slightly. Davey's gaze landed on a metal crutch lying on the ground a few feet away, which he assumed must belong to this kid. He picked it up and handed it to the kid, who smiled gratefully as he stood. "Thanks..." he trailed off. "Davey," Davey answered, holding out his hand for the other boy to shake. The kid's face relaxed visibly when he heard this. "I'm Crutchie. Jack texted me last night and told me about you. Nice to meet you!" Davey smiled at that, giving Crutchie's hand a firm shake before dropping it to his side. They stood staring at each other for a moment longer. "Well, I guess I'll see you at lunch?" Davey finally asked, breaking the silence. Crutchie nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, see you!" Davey watched as he limped slowly away, his face bright and happy despite what had happened just minutes ago.

Davey once again joined Jack's table at lunch, coming out of his shell a little more to laugh and talk with the other boys (and Katherine). By the time the bell rang at at the end of the period, he felt like he had finally found a group of friends who actually wanted to hang out with him, not just pretend to befriend him so they could copy his homework. The rest of the school day was much the same as it had been the day before, and soon Davey was gathering his books and heading home for the day. "Hey Davey, wait up!" Davey looked up in suprise, and saw Jack hurrying toward him. "Hi, Jack," Davey greeted, a little confused as to why Jack was in such a hurry to talk to him. "Hey, can I get your phone number? I wanna add you to the group chat," Jack asked, whipping out his phone. "Uh, sure," Davey said, startled. "It's 500-2500-0600." Jack nodded gratefully, quickly typing the number into his phone. "Thanks, Davey. See you tomorrow!" With that he sprinted off, jumping into a battered old minivan with Race at the wheel. Davey grinned to himself as the car sped out of the parking lot. Having friends certainly was nice.

 **A/N: There it is! And yes, to answer the question you probably weren't asking, I am bringing back the group chat! I am resurrecting it from the land of forgotten fanfiction! I know a lot of people really enjoyed that fic, so I hope you enjoy this version of it just as much.** **See ya!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

 **Hello again! It took me a minute to figure out how to incorporate the group chat into the story, but I did and I like the way this chapter came out. Also, for reference, here are people's screen names:**

 **JACK_RABBIT: Jack**

 **ZOOM-ZOOM: Race**

 **SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: Romeo**

 **HYPED: JoJo**

 **LEGALLY_BLIND: Specs**

 **ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Katherine**

 **These are the people who are featured in the group chat this chapter, I will let you know other people's screen names as they appear. I think that's it, be sure to keep on the lookout for the easter egg in this chapter!**

Jack was sat on his bed, skimming through the book for English class that he had failed to read. All around him, the other boys in his group home chatted, laughed, and argued with each other as they finished their homework. Suddenly, his phone, which was lying next to him on his bed, began buzzing like crazy.

"SQUAD" 5:23 PM

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: yo rehersal finished can someone pick me up

ZOOM-ZOOM: since when do any of us have a car?

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: kath does

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Since when was I doing you any favors?

HYPED: ROASTED

LEGALLY_BLIND: No one says that, JoJo.

HYPED: well i do so deal

ZOOM-ZOOM: we have to deal with u every day

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Now, now children, calm down. Play nicely.

ZOOM-ZOOM: OW

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: What?

ZOOM-ZOOM: JOJO JUST THREW A BOOK AT ME AND I SWEAR I WILL KILL HIM HE WILL FEEL MY WRATH

HYPED: suddenly i must go

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Are you all in the same room texting each other?

JACK_RABBIT: yeah cuz its 2017 and we refuse to be social RACE PUT THE LAMP DOWN

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: are u guys just ignoring the fact that im still waiting

JACK_RABBIT: all hell just broke loose here so yes we are

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: fine ill walk home

LEGALLY_BLIND: Good idea

After convincing JoJo to come down from the couch because Race was most certainly not going to kill him, and settling all the other boys down, Jack sat on his bed once again, finishing his homework and simultaneously sketching Crutchie, who was sitting next to him. "Today was crazy, huh?" Crutchie asked as he tried to peek over Jack's shoulder and see his drawing. "Hey, I told you no looking! It ain't done yet," Jack laughed, shifting so that Crutchie couldn't see what he was drawing. "And yeah, Crutch. It has been pretty crazy lately," he smiled, thinking of how he had pretty much had to bribe Race to keep him from throwing a lamp at JoJo just a few hours earlier. "That Davey kid seems nice, though," Crutchie continued, stretching his bad leg out in front of him and bringing his good one to his chest. Jack nodded, deep in concentration. "Yeah, seems kinda nervous though. Dunno how well he'll do around the boys." Crutchie smiled to himself, thinking of how Davey had stood up for him before he even knew who he was. "I think he'll be okay," he said, yawning. Jack grinned. "Get some sleep, Crutch. Don't want you getting sick again." Crutchie shook his head, blinking to try and stay awake. "I'm good Jack. I wanna see my picture." "I'll show it to you tomorrow," Jack laughed, shifting again so that Crutchie could get up. They both knew he would never show Crutchie the drawing though, in the 9 years that they had known each other, Jack had never shown Crutchie one of his drawings, always coming up with an excuse as to why it wasn't good enough. Watching as Crutchie made his way to his bed a few beds down and begin to put his pyjamas on, Jack put the finishing touches on his drawing with a smile, before putting his things away and settling down for the night.

 **A/N: A short and sweet chapter to brighten your day. Please review, and let me know of you have any suggestions or requests!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

 **A new chapter! This one is the obligatory Newsies Game Night that in my opinion every author has to write at some point. (Also, I don't own any of the games mentioned in this chapter. I also don't own Newsies, just the OC from my other story. I forgot to mention this before now. Woops.) Enjoy!**

"SQUAD" 3:49 PM

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: im bored

ZOOM-ZOOM: thats my problem becuz?

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: nvm iv had an idea!

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: The last time you had an "idea" it ended with a trip to the emergency room.

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: not my fault, i told u to take good care of those firecrackers

DAVIDJACOBS: Do I want to know what happened?

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: Trust me Davey, you don't.

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: besides my idea this time is way safer

LEGALLY_BLIND: Keep telling yourself that, Rome.

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: What, pray tell, is this idea?

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: two words... Newsies Game Night

LEGALLY_BLIND: That's three words.

DAVIDJACOBS: Newsies?

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: It's a name Kath made up for us because she runs the school newspaper and we sometimes go to their meetings.

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: I'm going to ban you if you keep eating all the free food.

JACK_RABBIT: you know you love us

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Do I?

JACK_RABBIT: of course you do

ZOOM-ZOOM: not to interrupt this love fest but you said something about a game night rome?

JACK_RABBIT: im fine with it as long as we don't play apples to apples.

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Fine, but we have to play Cards Against Humanity.

ZOOM-ZOOM: there better be pizza

DAVIDJACOBS: Can I come? My mom can drive me.

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Of course! The more the merrier.

LEGALLY_BLIND: So we're doing this?

JACK_RABBIT: looks like. see ya in 10!

Davey stood on the front porch of a large house with peeling yellow paint, his palms sweating once again. Jack had given him the address of his house and told him to be there at 5:00, and now Davey was standing here, his brain going a mile a minute, trying to summon the courage to knock on the door. What if this was the wrong house? What if it was the right house but he got the time wrong? What if the boys had only invited him here to make a fool of him and post it online? That kind of thing happened all the time in movies, what if it was happening now? He had only known these boys about a week, could he trust them? Davey would have stood there for hours if the door hadn't suddenly swung open, revealing Jack standing in a front hallway crowded with shoes and coats. "Heya Davey! Come on in!" he yelled over the obnoxiously loud music blaring inside, moving so that Davey could enter. Once he had, Jack grabbed his hand and pulled him into what looked to be a large living room, with a kitchen just off of it. There were couches and chairs spread all over the room, and a large TV and coffee table in the center. The smell of pizza wafted from the kitchen, and all the other boys sat around talking and laughing about what had happened that day. Jack clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, and the room slowly grew silent. "Davey's here guys! Let's get started!" This announcement was met with a cheer from the other boys, who promptly began arguing about what game they would play first. "Since Davey's new here, he gets to pick!" Jack shouted over the din, grinning sheepishly at Davey while the other boys settled down again. Blinking in suprise, Davey was suddenly aware that everyone was looking at him. He swallowed hard. "Uh, Monopoly I guess?" he stammered, and was met by groans from the rest of the boys.

Two hours and three pizzas later, Davey could tell why his pick had been met with such opposition. Romeo and Race played as a team, but neither of them understood the rules and Race kept trying to get people to gamble away their properties, ignoring the fact that that wasn't a part of the game. Jack and Katherine played as a team as well, but Katherine was trying to strategize while Jack was just playing randomly, leading to some heated arguments. Everyone else was playing individually, but they were all being beaten by Crutchie, who was also the Banker on account of the fact that he was the only one who wouldn't cheat (besides Davey). Eventually, Katherine announced that if she had to play one more round with Jack she would go crazy, so they abandoned Monopoly and moved to Cards Against Humanity.

One hour later, Katherine was declared the undisputed winner, an honor which she was quick to rub in everyone's face. After she had finished gloating, they all sat around staring at each other until Romeo declared that he was going to play video games, and anyone was welcome to join him, but he would definitely kick their ass. That was how everyone ended up circled around the TV, sipping hot cocoa and watching Romeo play Albert in an intense game of Mortal Combat X. "So, did ya have fun tonight?" Crutchie asked Davey, leaning back into his chair with a sigh. Grinning, Davey nodded. This had been one of the most fun nights of his life, and he didn't want it to end. Crutchie smiled back at him. "Good. Jack thought you might be a little freaked out by all the other boys." Davey chuckled quietly at that, looking around the room at everyone. "They certainly are different," he said quietly, sipping his cocoa. "Yeah, but what's the fun in being normal?" Crutchie laughed, and Davey laughed too. Whatever he had gotten himself into, it certainly wasn't normal.

 **A/N: That's it for now! Any suggestions or requests, just let me know through review or PM, as per usual. See ya!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**

 ***blows dust off of story* Whoa, it's been a minute and a half! To be completely honest, I kind of lost interest in this story, but with the help of a suggestion from Dossypet and my own ideas, I have motivation and inspiration! Enjoy!**

"Remember, don't get into any trouble, don't eat too much junk food, and most importantly-" "Don't annoy anyone! I get it, Davey!" Les tugged at Davey's arm impatiently, practically dragging him down the sidewalk towards the arcade. Davey sighed, jogging slightly to keep up with him. His parents had decided going out for dinner and leaving him to babysit the same night Jack had invited him to the local arcade for a night of shenanigans was a good idea, so here he was, being forced to take Les with him and attempt to stop him from getting high on sugar. Again. Oh boy.

"Davey, over here!" Crutchie called, waving at him from a table across the room. Davey waved back and walked over, tugging on Les' coat to get him to follow. "Heya, Davey!" Race mumbled, his mouth full of pizza. "Hi, Race," Davey responded, and Les stuck his head out from behind Davey to grin at Race. "Who's this?" Jack asked, coming up behind Race. "I'm Les!" Les exclaimed, and Jack laughed. "I'm Jack, and this is Crutchie and Race," he said, pointing to each boy. There was an akward pause, before Race spoke up. "Hey Les, you like air hockey?"

Half an hour later, Davey sat with Jack eating a cookie he had bought from the small concessions booth connected to the arcade. They were both simultaneously watching an intense game of air hockey between Race and Les, and Katherine and Crutchie's failed attempts to retrieve a stuffed otter from a claw machine. "Les seems to be having a good time," Jack remarked. "Yeah, he always likes meeting new people," Davey responded, absentmindedly scratching at an itch on his neck. Jack nodded knowingly. "Yeah, most of the boys were thrilled when they found out he was here. They all love kids, though most 'a them would probably deny it." Davey started to laugh, but stopped abruptly. Jack glanced at him. "You okay?" Davey nodded, barely hearing Jack. He felt like all of the air had been sucked out of the room, and his vision was getting blurry. "Davey?" Crutchie and Katherine were standing in front of him now, having returned from their unsuccessful quest. They asked him something else, but Davey didn't hear them, he was more preoccupied with the fact that his throat felt like it was closing up. He looked up at all of his friends' concerned faces, which suddenly seemed to loom alarmingly close, and then he was on the ground, his vision darkening as he lost consciousness.

 **A/N: So as you can probably tell, this is going to be a two-parter. Now, normally I would post this part, wait a few hours, then post the next part, but I'm feeling adventurous and slightly evil. So, if I get 5 reviews before the end of today then I will post the next chapter today. But if not, then you have to wait until tomorrow to see where I'm going with this. So whatever happens, let's begin! (Hehe, corny Newsies reference.)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**

 **Aw, so close! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Les and Race were locked in a heated air hockey battle, trash talk and profanities (on the part of Race) included, when they heard a large thud from over where everyone else was sitting. Race glanced over, and froze at what he saw. Les followed his gaze, and let out a small cry of terror. Davey was on the ground, looking to be unconscious, and Katherine was kneeling next to him, taking his pulse. Abandoning their game, Les and Race ran over. "What's wrong?" Les asked, his gaze trailing over to Davey, who was pale and whose chest was rising and falling irregularly. "I dunno, we were just talking an' all of a sudden he fell over," Jack answered, fear in his eyes. Katherine looked up at Les, her expression serious. "Les, does Davey have any allergies?" she asked. Les was finding it hard to concentrate on what she was saying, but he still managed to stutter out, "Uh, yeah, I think he's allergic to tree nuts." Katherine cursed under her breath when she heard that, then began rummaging in her bag. "Crutchie, pass me a clean straw," she asked, her tone urgent. Crutchie, looking confused, took an unused straw off of their table and handed it to Katherine, who had pulled a pen out of her bag. "Race, get Les out of here, and call 911," she ordered, and Race obeyed as quickly as he could, picking up his phone and hurrying Les out of the door despite his protests that he should stay. "Kath?" Jack asked, leaning closer to see what she was doing. Katherine sighed. "If you're squeamish, look away."

Les sat in the backseat of Jack's van, trying unsuccessfully to stop tears from streaming down his face. After Race had led him outside to the parking lot he had called 911, saying things in a low voice that Les couldn't quite hear. An ambulance had shown up a few minutes later, and Davey had been wheeled inside on a stretcher. Les had wanted to ride with him in the ambulance, but Jack assured him he would be fine with Katherine instead, who had gotten on the phone with their parents and was listing Davey's medical history to a paramedic. Les grudgingly agreed, and was now on the way to the hospital, squeezed between Crutchie and Race, with Jack at the wheel driving like a maniac. "Jack, slow down. You're not gonna help anything by gettin' us all killed," Crutchie reminded him for the 5th time. Jack glared at him in the rear view mirror, but nevertheless slowed down considerably. Les sniffed loudly, and Crutchie put his arm around his shoulder. "Don't worry, Les. I'm sure he'll be fine." Les sighed and leaned into Crutchie, wishing he could be as optimistic.

 **A/N: Okay, I know I said this was going to be a two-parter, but I lied. I'm definitely going to wrap this up in the next chapter, which will be posted later today, regardless of reviews. (That being said, please review. I enjoy reading them and they motivate me.)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

 **Oops! I know, I said I would post thus a few days ago, but then life got crazy. I hope the fact that this chapter is a little bit longer and the fact that this is a double upload will make up for that, though. Enjoy!**

When Jack pulled up at the front entrance to the hospital, Les practically jumped out of the car. Crutchie and Race followed close behind him, and Jack shouted out of the car window that he would meet them inside after he parked. They hurried into the main waiting area of the emergency room, the automatic doors clicking shut behind them. Les looked around at all the people sitting in chairs, finally spotting Katherine in a corner. He hurried over to her, and when she saw him coming she stood and offered him a small smile. "How's Davey? Can I see him? Is he alright? Are my parents here?" Les let out steady stream of questions, barely pausing for breath. "Whoa, slow down kid," Crutchie said, ruffling Les' hair. "Your parents are on their way, Les. As for Davey, all I know is that they took him back there a little while ago and they won't tell me anything because I'm not family," Katherine answered truthfully, and Les swallowed nervously. Seeing his stricken expression, Race patted him on the shoulder. "It'll be alright, Les. I'm sure Davey'll be good as new in no time." Les offered Race a small smile, then sat in the chair previously occupied by Katherine to wait.

30 minutes later, Les had dozed off in his chair, and Race, Crutchie, Katherine, and Jack were sitting on the floor at his feet, quietly talking. Suddenly the doors opened, and Les and Davey's parents walked in, looking understandably concerned. Jack saw them looking around, and tapped Les on the foot to wake him up. He immediately sat upright, wide awake. Seeing his mother, he jumped out of his chair and ran to her, almost knocking over a stand of magazines in the process, much to the annoyance of the secretary at the front desk. Katherine watched them with a small smile, but Jack, Race, and Crutchie quickly looked away. Never having had parents to embrace like that, they felt like they were intruding on a private moment, a feeling none of them liked. Suddenly Les pulled away from his parents and began talking animatedly, gesturing to them after a moment. "That's our cue, boys," Jack sighed, standing stiffly. He helped Crutchie up, then made his way over to Davey's parents, his heart sinking as he realized he had to explain to them why their son was currently passed out in the hospital.

Davey came to to the sound of an incessant beeping in his ear and sunlight streaming through a lone window. Blinking a few times, his eyes finally focused. He was lying on a hospital bed in a sterile white room, hooked up to an IV bag and an oxygen tube. Looking around, he saw his mother was sitting on a chair at the foot of his bed, looking to be asleep. "Mom?" he whispered, his voice cracking from disuse. His mother's head shot up, and she smiled when she saw her was awake. "Hello, David. How are you feeling?" she asked, smoothing his hair away from his face and planting a kiss on his forehead. "Okay," Davey answered, slightly confused. "What happened?" "You accidentally ate a cookie that had almonds in it when you were hanging out with Jack and his friends, don't you remember?" "Kind of," Davey frowned. "Where's Les?" "Your dad took him home so he could get some sleep," his mother explained. "Now, you just relax and I'm going to go get the doctor, okay?" "Okay," Davey answered, and his mother kissed him on the forehead again before quietly exiting the room.

A few hours later, Davey was sitting up in bed doing some homework his parents had brought him from home. He was feeling much better, but the doctor said they were going to keep him here for a few more hours just to make sure he was completely stable. He was thinking about how annoying that was when the door slowly opened, and Les poked his head into the room. Davey grinned, setting aside his schoolwork. "Hey," he said. "Hey," came the the quiet response. Davey waited a moment, but Les still hadn't moved from the doorway. Wordlessly, he opened his arms. That was all it took. Les ran across the room and jumped on the bed, hugging him tightly and crying softly. "Shhhh, it's okay, it's okay," Davey soothed. Les sniffed loudly in response, his tears soaking into Davey's hospital gown. Davey patted him on the back reassuringly, then slowly began to lie down. Les sniffed again, burrowing into his side like he used to when he was a baby. Smiling down at him, Davey reached out and began running his fingers through Les' hair, gradually lulling him to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:**

 **Part two of this double upload, just a little groupchat bit to (hopefully) make you laugh! (Thank you to Fanz4life for basically writing this entire chapter, I hope you don't mind that I changed it a little.)**

"SQUAD" 2:15 AM

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: whats up guys?

JACK_RABBIT: why r u texting us at 2 am

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: cuz i cant sleep

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: You also can't use grammar and punctuation, apparently.

DAVIDJACOBS: Go to sleep!

ZOOM-ZOOM: ooo, whats davey doing up this late??? ;)

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: thats an image ill never get out of my head

ZOOM-ZOOM: ur fault, u started this

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: UGGGHHHH! I hate you all!

DAVIDJACOBS: For your information, I'm up this late because you fools woke me up with your incessant chatter!

JACK_RABBIT: damn daveys pissed

ROMEO: if everyone here loves sleep so much then why r u people answering?

ZOOM-ZOOM: friendship

JACK_RABBIT: awww i knew u secretly loved us, race!

ZOOM-ZOOM: shut it, kelly

DAVIDJACOBS: GOODNIGHT!

JACK_RABBIT: I'm out

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: l8r

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: guys

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: i still can't sleep

 **A/N: Send the digital ravens to me with your requests and suggestions if you wish! Later!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**

 **It occurred to me that I write most of this story from Davey's point of view, so I decided to change that and write this from Crutchie's point of view. Enjoy!**

Crutchie was sitting in his third period Spanish class attempting to pay attention to his teacher, who was droning on and on about Preterite and Imperfect verbs, when the PA crackled to life and the principal's nasally voice rang out from it. "Attention students and teachers. We are now going into lock down due to a threat outside the school. Please remain in your classrooms with the windows and doors closed and locked. Ignore all bells. Thank you." Upon hearing this news everyone seemed to freeze, Crutchie included. His teacher was the first to recover, and she began ushering everyone into a corner of the classroom and asking them to sit quietly and not talk. Crutchie did as she asked, settling himself into a semi-comfortable position before pulling out his phone and texting the group chat.

"SQUAD" 10:29 AM

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: Hey, is everyone okay?

The doorknob rattled suddenly and the girl next to him let out a terrified shriek before being silenced by the teacher. Crutchie took a deep breath, reassured himself it was just security checking that everyone had followed instructions, then returned to his phone.

"SQUAD" 10:31 AM

JACK_RABBIT: yeah im holed up in the art room

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Me and Davey are in our English classroom.

ZOOM-ZOOM: stuck in the boys locker room

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: same

HYPED: me and mush are in our digital arts classroom

LEGALLY_BLIND: In my math class

JACK_RABBIT: anyone know where albert is?

A-DOT-HAM: Stuck under a desk in the library.

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Good, everyone's accounted for.

A-DOT-HAM: Incidentally, did you know there is a disgusting amount of gum stuck under the desks in the library, despite the school's rule about not chewing gum?

HYPED: fascinating

A-DOT-HAM: Yep.

Crutchie looked up from his phone when the PA crackled back on. "Attention students and teachers. Thank you for your cooperation while we resolved this situation. The lock down has now ended. Please proceed to your fourth period class." Crutchie let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding in. Lock downs always made him nervous, and he was glad it was over.

"SQUAD" 10:58 AM

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: Guess that's it. See you guys at lunch?

JACK_RABBIT: yeah see ya

Crutchie clicked off his phone and took another deep breath to calm his nerves, then stood and headed to his next class, the crutch clicking as he walked.

 **A/N: So, a while ago I wrote a oneshot called Origins about Jack's past. Recently, I've been thinking of writing similar stories for the other Newsies, chronicling their origins. What do you guys think? Any suggestions? Please let me know!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:**

 **I can guarantee that anyone who has ever been to a public school in the United States of America can relate to this.**

"SQUAD" 7:36 AM

ZOOM-ZOOM: GUESS WHAT

HYPED: CHICKEN BUTT

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: Really JoJo, really?

ZOOM-ZOOM: WE'RE RUNNING THE PACER IN PE! WOOO!

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Only Race would be excited to run the freaking Pacer.

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: The Pacer is one of the few things in this world that makes me glad I have a crutch.

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: NOT THE PACER! ANYTHING BUT THE PACER!

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Hello to you too.

ZOOM-ZOOM: Ha sux for you unathletic people

LEGALLY_BLIND: Shut up, Race.

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: WHOA specs is actually in here *brain explodes*

LEGALLY_BLIND: Haha, you're sooo funny.

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: I detect sarcasm.

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: okay but real talk, who would win in an epic sarcasm battle? specs race or crutchie?

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Really, I don't get to be included?

ZOOM-ZOOM: betrayal

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: okay, specs race crutchie or katherine?

JACK_RABBIT: my money's on crutchie

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Jack!

JACK_RABBIT: what? he's the one i have to live with

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: Hehe

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Okay, it's on now.

ZOOM-ZOOM: me and specs dont get to be included anymore?

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: No!

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: No!

JACK_RABBIT: that wasn't terrifying at all

A-DOT-HAM: How did this conversation go from the Pacer sucks to a Katherine v. Crutchie sarcasm battle?

LEGALLY_BLIND: No one knows. No one knows.

 **A/N: Coming Soon: Katherine and Crutchie face off in an epic sarcasm battle. Also: A-DOT-HAM is Albert in case that wasn't clear.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:**

 **And now for the long-awaited sarcasm battle! I hope it came out okay, it was actually really hard for me to write. Enjoy!**

"SQUAD" 5:21 PM

A-DOT-HAM HAS CHANGED THEIR USERNAME TO EINSTEIN

ZOOM-ZOOM: uh ok then

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: Albert, why is your username Einstein?

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: cuz he found out in physics today that einstein's first name was albert

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: Oh, okay.

EINSTEIN: Also because I'm a GENIUS

ZOOM-ZOOM: hahaha! oh thats a good one al

EINSTEIN: Shut up Race

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Is Crutchie in here?

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: I hath been summoned! What's up, Kath?

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: I'm bored.

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: Uh, okay.

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Sarcasm Battle?

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: I am ready.

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: ROUND ONE FIGHT!

ZOOM-ZOOM: wrong battle, rome

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: Hear that, Katherine? It's the sound of you not talking for once.

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: You know Crutchie, not all men are annoying. Some are dead.

JACK_RABBIT: hey!

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Shush Jack, I'm busy.

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: Katherine, your opinion is very important to me. Please stay on the line until you hear the beep for voice-mail.

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Please tell me this train of thought you're on has a caboose.

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: Uh... if you need so much space there's always NASA.

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: You think I'm sarcastic? Watch me pretend to care.

SHAKESPEARE_IS_THE_REAL_MVP: OOOO

ZOOM-ZOOM: i declare katherine the winner of this sarcasm battle!

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: I would like to thank all of you for your support as I pursued this title, and I would like to thank Crutchie for being awful at sarcasm so I could win.

THE_REAL_CRUTCHIE_MORRIS: Rude

ORIGINAL_FEMINIST: Only kidding, Crutchie. Only kidding.

 **A/N: Please review, it makes me happy!**


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